3.It is called “Guru mantra” because at the time of taking into his fold and imparting education to his “shishya” or pupil, the guru or teacher first explains the meaning and importance of this mantra and makes him chant it.
4.It is called Mantraraj because it is the topmost mantra among all the mantras.
The importance and potency of Gayatri mantra manifests itself in the fact that it is quoted in all the four Vedas.
In Rigveda it is cited in 3/62/10. In Yajurveda it is quoted in three places: 3/35, 22/9, and 30/2. In 36/3 Bhur, Bhuvah, Swah is appended to the main mantra. In Samaveda, the chanting is according to intonation in Rigveda.
In Atharvaveda, it is described as Vedamata: “Stuta maya varada vedamata, prachodayatam pavaani dwijanam”.
Gaya is the power of the senses and also life breath, “tra” is protector. Gayatri protects the intellect by empowering it to control the mind which tends to forcefully drag the senses toward material objects.
Gayatri Mantra:
Aum, Bhur, Bhuvah, Swah
Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi
Dheeyoyonah Prachodayat
AUM: The primal and supreme name of God
Bhur: The Giver of Life
Bhuvah: The Remover of Pain and Sorrows
Swah: The Bestower of Happiness
Tat: That
Savitur: Of the Creator of the Universe
Varenyam: Worth assimilating
Bhargo devasya: Luminescence, which by its radiance destroys all sins
Dheemahi: We meditate upon and assimilate
Dheeyoyonah Prachodayat: May he inspire and enlighten our intellects
O God! Giver of Life, the Remover of All Pain and Sorrows, Bestower of Happiness, the Creator of the Universe, thou art most luminous, adorable and the destroyer of sins. We meditate upon thee. May thou inspire, enlighten and guide our intellect in the right direction.
In Gayatri Mantra, God is addressed as Savita. In Shatpath Brahaman (1/1/2/7) the word “Savita” is described as “Savita vai devanam prasavita”. The Supreme Power which created the Divine Forces (Sun, Moon, Earth, Wind, Fire) is called Savita.
In Taitreeya Brahaman (3/101/2), Savita has been described as “Savita Prasavita, deepto, deepyan, deepyamanah”. Savita is the Supreme Creator who has created all. He is himself luminous and radiates everyone by his radiance.
AUM is the primal and complete name of the Supreme Power. The three letters in AUM describe the three Supreme qualities of God: Creation, Preservation, and Dissolution. He is the creator, preserver and destroyer of the universe.
Chanting of AUM denotes the three processes of creation. While chanting “A” for the sound to emanate from within, the mouth opens, symbolizing the beginning of creation. While chanting “U” the sound emanating from within continues to prolong with the mouth open, symbolizing the continuity and preservation of the creation and when ”M” is chanted, the mouth shuts symbolizing the dissolution of the Ccreation. The word AUM is symbolic, descriptive, comprehensive, and manifests expression of the Supreme Power--God. This is the reason why we chant AUM at the beginning of every mantra, thinking of him alone, concentrating on his divine qualities only, and praying to him and only him. He is “poorna” or complete or perfect, omnipotent and “anandswarup” or Blissful. His benediction radiates and spreads over all living beings, all animate and inanimate objects, just as the light of the sun through its luminous rays spreads in all directions and on every object.
AUM is Bhur, Bhuvah, and Swah. He is Bhur, the Giver of Life. His energy is generated in the earth which enables a small seed to force its way out of the soil and sprout into a plant and grow into a large tree. He, in his own mysterious way, breathes life into the fetus in the mother's womb enabling it to develop and grow in that dark closet surrounded by water, yet pulsating with a heartbeat indicating the existence of life. He is the life-giving force Bhur.
AUM is Bhuvah, the Eliminator of Pain and Sorrows. Life is an intricate complexity. There are more thorns than flowers strewn on the path of life. The prick of a thorn causes pain. Pain is caused by several factors: abject poverty which deprives a person of even one square meal per day; want or need which leaves a person hungering for basic necessities of life; physical disability and deformity which prevents one from leading a normal life and causing dependence upon others; sickness which brings in its trail physical and mental suffering; natural calamities which cause colossal destruction; and death which in a fraction of a second snatches away someone who is most precious to a person. All these factors cause untold pain, misery and suffering. In these moments of utter despair we turn to God to rescue us from the clutches of pain and give us solace. Implicit faith in him relieves us from suffering for he is Bhuvah, the Remover of Pain and Sorrows.
AUM is Swah, Bestower of Happiness. Happiness comes like a ray of the morning sun which in a moment dispels darkness and spreads light everywhere. Light kindles hope, propels a person to move forward fearlessly, goads him to realize the true meaning of life, urges him to enjoy the bounties bestowed upon him by the untiring Donor and to acquire happiness by being at peace with himself and with his fellow beings. The source of all happiness is Swah from whom happiness springs, flows and spreads.
Gayatri mantra is divided into three parts: (1) “tat savitur varenyam” (2) “bhargo devasya dheemahi” (3) “dheeyoyonah prachodayat”.
Tat is the Supreme Power which is beyond description. All adjectives, superlatives and epithets fail to describe him in entirety. In one of his couplets, Saint Kabir wrote that if the water of all the oceans were to be turned into ink and the wood of all the forests of the world used to make pens, the whole earth and sky were turned into paper--even with all these materials, if he were to try to write about the glory and greatness of God, even then he would fail to describe him completely. The more one tries to describe him, the more he realizes that vocabularies fall short of words and speech becomes silent. Perhaps this was the reason why the sages laid down their arms saying ”neti neti means na iti na iti” This is not the end. This is not the end. There is much more which is beyond our comprehension, which has not been visualized, which is yet to be known, for there is no means available to measure the height of his greatness and the magnitude of his magnificence.
That Tat or indescribable Supreme Power is Savita, the creator of the universe. His supremacy manifests itself in his creation which is flawless and perfect. Time cannot bind him for he made Time. From time immemorial to eternity, the process of creation and annihilation is continuous. The most powerful and most technologically developed telescopes have revealed that there are several heavenly bodies which are in different stages of formation. This process of creation is unending.
The earth on which we live is just a small part of the vast universe. Rotating on its own axis to complete one round every 24 hours, it revolves around the sun. All celestial bodies are in motion and yet there is order in their rotation. There is rotation but never collision. The creator has bound them by his supreme power which keeps them at particular distances. We are awestruck on beholding his superb creation. We marvel at the sight of celestial bodies and more at the invisible power which with his invisible hands he has created this universe. That creator of the universe is Savita.
God, who is the creator of the universe is “varenyam” worth accepting, imbibing, and assimilating. He is varenyam because he is great. All the powers put together cannot surpass him in greatness. His greatness lies in his divinity which is sublime, in his power which is unchallenged, in his supremacy which is infinite, and in his grandeur which is splendid.
His greatness manifests itself in varied forms, shades and benedictions. He is varenyam because he is adorable. Being our Divine Father, he provides for us. He cares for us. He protects us. He inspires us to move forward steadily on the right path, through the voice of our conscience. He dissuades us from doing wrong. He rewards